No Windows XP On Netbooks From October

Microsoft has made a couple of important announcements with respect to their older Windows XP desktop platform. First is the news that support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 shall end on July 13, 2010. Users wishing to continue receiving support must soon upgrade to Windows XP SP 3 to continue receiving support till April 2014.

Another important news is that Microsoft has sent reminders to OEMs to stop pre-installing Microsoft Windows XP on new netbooks beginning October of this year. The move is aimed at migrating customers to a newer Windows 7 platform. With Microsoft’s focus moving towards its latest OS, continuing the distribution of its older XP platform may lead to defragmentation worries in the future.

However, not everyone is happy. OEMs are worried that replacing Windows XP with Windows 7 may increase the cost of the final product that will eventually hit them on the sale volumes. Also, Windows 7 will require the use of more advance processors which will eventually drive prices up. That could be disastrous for the netbook segment which is already feeling the pinch due to the arrival of tablets in the market.